One-Shots
by DogsRock235
Summary: One shots will vary between times, meaning that this book will probably never be considered "completed." I will post a one shot if I get an idea, and that's that. No general times or anything. The one shots will never end up being made, I don't have actual plot for them. I may not be able to do some requests if I don't know the show/movie/anime/book.
1. GotP: Different Circumstances

**What if Ned had come back to the dorm later in the night during Chapter 7?**

* * *

"Kaneki?" Ned asked slowly. "Are you okay?"

Kaneki didn't answer, head down, eyes averted.

"Kaneki?" Ned repeated.

A quick crack echoed in the room, and Ned flinched as his eyes watched the finger bend.

"Come on, dude. You're scaring me. Quit it already." Ned pleaded.

There was silence, and then Kaneki lifted his head, eyes locking with Ned's.

Ned realized Kaneki didn't have his usual eyepatch on, and he quickly realized why he usually did.

The eye was pitch black, the pupil and iris a blood red, and small, red veins on the outer skin of the eye.

Ned's breath hitched. "Kaneki..."

"You were supposed to be home a while ago," Kaneki murmured.

"I...got back late," Ned said, his tone shaky, quiet.

"You should've called and told me ahead of time," Kaneki said, tone quiet with the slightest hint of anger.

"I didn't..." Ned swallowed thickly. "I didn't really expect to come back to..."

"This?" Kaneki finished Ned's thought. "You didn't expect to come back to your roommate looking like a monster? I'm sure you didn't." His tone was not mocking, only sincere.

Ned wished Kaneki was mocking him.

"Why does your eye look like that?" Ned asked cautiously.

"An accident. It looks like that when I'm hungry," he answered.

Ned laughed nervously. "Then eat something. It's not going to kill you."

"No, but it's going to kill you."

Ned didn't dare scream when Kaneki was suddenly in front of him and ripping his shoulder apart with his teeth.

Ned just shut his eyes and desperately tried to muffle his sobs.

He wished he hadn't come home at all.

* * *

 **Okay, slightly dark. This is one of the ideas I had for a Ned reveal, but I cut it out and changed it a bit to use for Lily's scene. This scene is kind of short and has a bit of a cliffhanger, but this was as far as the idea had gone until I decided to change it. Bye my doggies!**


	2. Demon Within: Dan's Question

**Remember Dan's question in Chapter 34, when he wondered what really occurred in the shack? What if Wendy told him?**

* * *

"Are you sure?" Wendy asked.

"Positive." Dan nodded.

"Kailee and Demon are, well, demons. They have a curse which forces them to eat human souls to survive. They were dying because of something called a Demon Orb. It's used to control demons, but slowly kills the demon while in its control or if it's taken out of it. I can't expose too much, but Mabel and Dipper's uncle was able to cure Demon and Kailee. Tray also confessed his love to Kailee." Wendy laughed.

"A human loving a demon? That's pretty cliché." Dan eyed Wendy.

"It's the truth. Promise you won't mention anything to anyone about this? I trust you, Dad, but if word gets out, Kailee and Demon will be in danger." Wendy sighed.

"I've already said this. My lips are sealed." Dan remained firm.

"Thanks, Dad." Wendy smiled.

' _Soul-devouring demons, huh? They're really just kids finding a place in the world. I'll be damned to Hell if I ever think those two were ever evil,_ ' Dan thought.

* * *

 **Short, but some type of wrap up! If any of you doggies recall from my book Demon Within, Dan's last line, or thought, was him thinking he would one day wish to know what really happened in the shack. This was the wrap up to that line. Bye my doggies!**


	3. DGHKKD: What if?

**What if Clockwork had allowed Rin to change the past?**

* * *

Rin appeared in a flash of light, looking at his father and himself on the other side of the roof.

"I can fix this..." He murmured, flipping up his hood, letting his tail hang free.

Rin raced toward the two with inhuman speed.

He wasn't subtle, he didn't try to be. His only priority was to save his dad.

Shiro and Younger Rin turned to look at him, eyes wide.

Neither was able to react as Rin grabbed Younger Rin's arm and leapt into the air, through the roof, yelling, "Sorry! You can have him back later!"

Younger Rin struggled, but with Rin's full demonic power unleashed and not sealed, even his human form was stronger than Younger Rin.

Rin didn't waste time in surrounding him and his younger self with blue flames, teleporting them a few miles away from the monastery, because Rin knew that Shiro would come after him.

They appeared in a forest, and Rin let go of Younger Rin.

Younger Rin stumbled back, wide eyed with fear.

"Who are you? You're a demon, aren't you? You want to take me to Satan!" Younger Rin scowled, but the fear in his eyes was unmistakable. "But the old man said blue flames are the sign of Satan! He told me I was the only one who possessed them besides Satan!"

Rin himself remembered the same fear his younger self was experiencing.

"I'm a demon, you're right about that, but I do not want to take you to Satan. That's the last thing I will ever do, trust me. Right now, I'm trying to save D-Shiro." Rin sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean? Save the old man?!" Younger Rin asked, eyes narrowed.

Rin sighed, slipping off his hood and staring his younger self in the eyes. He was glad he was in human form.

Younger Rin gasped, stumbling back. "You're...me?"

"With a few deformities," Rin answered, "But, yes. I'm a demon, though. Look, I'm you from the future. In my time, Shiro died because of you...me...us."

"What...do you mean?" Younger Rin swallowed.

"I got angry, I was mad Dad kept the truth from me my whole life, and while it wasn't the right thing to do, he was only trying to protect me. I yelled at him, told him to never call himself my father again. He slapped me, but inside, his heart broke at my words. His will wavered, and that was just enough for Satan to possess him. Shiro took control just in time to stab himself and save me. I unsheathed Kurikara in my panic to save him. While I closed the Gehenna Gate, I lost my dad, and became half demon," Rin explained.

Younger Rin teared up. "No..."

"I came back to fix that, to give you another chance to have a father. I don't know if this will change my own future or if it will only change yours, but either way, it doesn't matter to me. If it only affects you, then I'm glad I managed to save at least one version of myself from a whole load of emotional turmoil and pain." Rin sighed.

"I-" Younger Rin didn't have a chance to speak as his future self was thrown into a tree.

"Rin! Are you okay?! We have to go, now!" Shiro barked, grabbing his son.

"Wait, Dad!" Younger Rin pulled his arm from his father's grip. "Look."

Shiro paused and sent a look to the demon that leant against a tree trunk, upside down. His eyes widened at the familiar face.

Rin smiled at the man. "Hey, Dad...I'm really glad you didn't shoot me in the back of the head." The half demon chuckled, picking himself up and giving his dad a lopsided smile, mixed emotions swirling in his eyes.

"How...I don't..." Shiro swallowed, seemingly not able to understand the situation.

"You know, for all of your training, you don't seem very composed." Rin chuckled, but it was a sad sound.

"Old man, this is my future self. He told me some things that...I'm very glad for," Younger Rin said.

"What kinds of things?" Shiro frowned.

Rin repeated what he'd said to his younger self, and Shiro found himself not breathing.

"You're not human anymore," Shiro said slowly.

"Is that all you got from that, you shitty geezer?" Rin huffed, exasperated. "And like I care! Being human was never my fortè anyway. I never fit in."

Rin eyed the exorcist. "As much as you might disagree, I think it's best if you allow Rin to unsheathe Kurikara."

"What?! Just because you did so doesn't mean I'll let him! You did it because you had to! He doesn't!" Shiro protested.

"Maybe so, but..." Rin trailed off, lifting his shirt and pulling Kurikara from its seal. "If he starts learning now, it'll be much easier in the future."

Younger Rin and Shiro's eyes widened at this, but Shiro gasped. "It's not..."

"On fire?" Rin chuckled. "No, but it can be." At this, Rin allowed his flames to cover the sword before dissipating.

"How...?" Shiro breathed.

"My flames aren't sealed away anymore. My demon form and human form are my own to control by will now. I took back my demon heart. What you said to me was true, the power did overwhelm me, but only because I let it. I accepted what I was, who I was, and what I possessed, thus allowing me to control what was a part of me," Rin explained, "Of course, this did not happen on a whim. As of now, I do not know your future, so events may not play out as they did for me. You were a big catalyst, so as I prevented your death, it probably changed many things. I can already guess a few." Rin smiled bitterly at the memory of his own brother pointing a gun at him, blaming him for Shiro's death. It was still a wound Rin couldn't forget, nor fully heal, as much as he tried.

Rin shook the thoughts from his head. "Anyways, my only choice was to accept everything at one point, because if I hadn't, everyone would have died. It was the only way to beat Satan, so I did what I had to do."

"I defeated Satan?" Younger Rin gaped.

"Maybe." Rin shrugged. "Since I changed the timeline, this may now be more of an alternate universe than my past. So, in technicality, you haven't, but maybe you will, one day. It's funny, though. In the beginning, my main goal was to become Paladin, then defeat Satan."

"You didn't become Paladin?" Younger Rin frowned.

Rin laughed. "Of course not. I wasn't even a month out of Cram School before I kicked the bastard's ass. Besides, even now, becoming Paladin is impossible."

"Why?" Younger Rin asked, fearing that maybe he would never be able to be smart or strong, never be able to make it as an exorcist.

"The Vatican is very picky about that sort of stuff, and personally, I highly doubt having the King of Hell as Paladin would go over well with them." Rin smiled slightly.

"What?! King of Hell?!" Shiro shouted.

"I defeated Satan, but possessing the blue flames and being the son of Satan, I was to take the place of King. It's not all it's cracked up to be, but I manage as well as a sixteen-year-old half demon can. I've become much stronger, and I'm sure you can, too." Rin smiled at his younger self.

"...You've become a lot more mature after my death, haven't you?" Shiro questioned, and Younger Rin couldn't disagree.

Rin smiled sadly. "What choice did I have? The Vatican were against me, besides Shura, I guess, although sometimes I think she likes to see me struggle. All of my friends in True Cross hated Satan with a passion, and even after all of that, I'd seen a lot of bloodshed. You can't honestly think that battling Satan was just a slash or two here and there, then it was over? No, he murdered plenty of exorcists brutally, even tore nearby innocents that didn't even know of demons to shreds right in front of me."

Rin sighed deeply. "It wasn't too long before I discovered I had PTSD, and Yukio flipped. I still suffer from nightmares and flashbacks, sometimes a lot of guilt. We were lucky, I was lucky. Yukio barely made it out alive after that, too."

Younger Rin and Shiro said nothing, but Younger Rin's thoughts were more visible from his expression, fear, sadness, and determination all clear on his face.

"But, it doesn't matter now!" Rin said, a slight hysterical tone to it. "It's all done and gone, so no need to brood over it!"

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Rin." Shiro apologized.

"Forget it." Rin shook his head. "I never blamed you. It's just, I had an opportunity to save you, maybe not for me specifically, but for another version, and I couldn't pass that up."

Rin paused. "Would it be awkward if I hugged you right now?"

Shiro chuckled. "No."

Rin smiled and lurched forward, clinging to the older Paladin. Tears finally made their way down Rin's cheeks. "You may not understand, you haven't lost your son, but I lost you, and I really, really missed you."

Shiro hugged back. "Maybe so, but I can still feel the pain that comes from thinking about losing you or Yukio. I'm sorry."

Younger Rin stood there, not very disturbed by his older self crying and hugging his adoptive father, surprisingly.

The medallion on Rin's neck started to glow and Rin clutched the man tighter.

"What's happening?" Younger Rin asked.

"It's my time to go, I have to go back." Rin sniffled. "Can I just stay like this? I don't want to fade alone."

"Of course, brat." Shiro smiled fondly.

Rin teared up at the nickname, a light sob passing through his lips. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Rin." Shiro smiled, tears leaking from his eyes, though Shiro didn't exactly know why. Maybe it was just the fact that he had failed to be there for his son, even if it was another version of him, or maybe it was because even though his Rin was still alive, the Rin in his arms was still his son, and Shiro felt like he was losing him.

The medallion illuminated the half demon, and light flashed, blinding the two males for a couple of seconds.

As Shiro was blinded, his arms seemed to lose their grasp on the solid form of Rin's body before he could feel nothing. Their vision returned, and Rin was gone.

* * *

"This won't affect your timeline," Clockwork told the half demon.

"It doesn't matter. I saved him, maybe not for my dad or me, but for the other Rin and the other version of my dad." Rin smiled.

"He is still your father." Clockwork eyed Rin.

"I know." Rin nodded.

* * *

 **I know they're probably kind of OOC, but writing their feelings and personalities while trying to portray it into how they would react in a scenario like this is hard. Bye my doggies!**


	4. OPBE: The Fourth Brother

**What if Rin was born in the One Piece universe and was the fourth member of ASL?**

* * *

A teen landed on their ship in the darkness of night.

Everyone was asleep, but one swordsman sat in the Sunny's crow's nest, asleep, but alert.

His hands itched towards his swords on his hip, his one eye opening a crack.

He leaned forward and looked toward the deck, eye following the silhouette that circled the wooden floor.

He slipped his swords from his sheaths, leaping down and aiming to cut the person's neck.

The figure swung around, dodging backward with a grace and speed that had the green-haired man impressed.

"Who are you?" Zoro growled, his voice slightly slurred from the sword in his mouth.

The bright moon in the sky illuminated both of them as the clouds parted and Zoro was able to see the figure better.

It was a teen, a male one at that. His raven hair looked like Luffy's, but thicker and a bit longer, along with a blue tint that Zoro doubted was from the moonlight. His bangs swung against his forehead from the sea breeze, but somehow left his bright blue eyes visible. He was about 5'8", standing proudly. His ears were pointed and his canines were sharper than a normal human's. He wore a pair of blue jeans, a chain hanging off one side of the leg, a pair of black boots, and a navy tee.

The male raised an eyebrow at the swordsman. "Pirate Hunter Zoro, Swordsman and First Mate of the Strawhat Pirates."

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Zoro demanded, swords tight in his hands.

The male sighed, eyes dropping to his feet. "My name is Rin, and I need to talk to your captain, Monkey D. Luffy."

"What do you want with Luffy?" Zoro asked tensely.

"Zoro? What's all the ruckus?" A female voice asked angrily. "We're trying to sleep!"

Rin turned to look at the female, examining her long, orange hair and melted chocolate eyes. "Hello. You must be Cat Burglar Nami."

Nami's eyes widened. "Who are you, and what are you doing on our ship?"

"As I've said before-" Rin was cut off as he jumped backward to avoid getting kicked in the face by a certain blonde chef.

Rin narrowed his eyes and huffed childishly. "I don't understand why you guys keep asking me questions, but won't let me answer them. So rude."

By now, the whole crew had woken up except Luffy and eyed the stranger. Rin examined them all. "Black Leg Sanji, Sogeking, Cotton Candy Lover Chopper, Devil Child Nico Robin, Cyborg Franky, and Soul King Brook. Pleasure to meet you. Now, I'm looking for Monkey D. Luffy, so if any of you would be kind enough to show me to him, then I would really appreciate it."

"Like hell we're telling you where that shitty rubber is!" Sanji barked, biting his cigarette in half.

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Look, I-"

"Rin?" A quiet whisper sounded behind the whole crew.

They all whipped around to see Luffy, standing there with wide, shocked eyes. Rin smiled at the straw-hatted boy. "Hey, Luffy. Long time, no see, huh?"

"You two know each other?!" Usopp yelled.

"We grew up together," was Rin's reply.

"You're dead," Luffy whispered, his voice contrast to his usual loud cheery tone. "Ace and I...we saw the blood. It was everywhere. You couldn't have..."

Rin chuckled sadly. "Yeah, took me a while to fully heal after that. I survived for reasons that I couldn't be there for you, Lu. I'm sorry I left you and Ace." The teen's eyes watered, tears slipping onto his pale skin. "I wasn't there for you when you needed me most. I couldn't even help save Ace. I'm sorry I abandoned you, but I thought it was for the best. But, you know, I was what, eight? I was naive and young, I couldn't have known what I was doing would end in this. I made bad choices, and I wish I never left you alone. Oh, Luffy, I'm sorry."

Luffy's lip quivered. "What...What happened? You were gone, and the walls were red...Why'd you leave?"

"Luffy, I'm...I'm not exactly human, and I couldn't drag you into my mess. I couldn't let you guys be killed because I was selfish. I loved you guys, Luffy. You, Ace, and Sabo. What's worse is that after Sabo...after he was gone, I went and left you, too. I loved you, and I was too weak to protect you. I had to leave, had to go and become stronger. I did, but I still lost my family, didn't I? I didn't even know Ace was dead until I came back and saw the news. Do you know how horrified I was, Lu? How devastated, how guilty? I broke down! First it was Sabo, then it was Ace! I failed...but then I remembered I still had my little brother, Luffy. You were alone and suffering just as much as I was. I decided that even if I wasn't able to watch you grow up, wasn't able to be there for you in the beginning, I would be here for you now. Took me a while to actually find you, but I made it."

Rin bit his lip and tried to force the tears away but failed. "Please, Luffy. You...I can't live not knowing. Do you hate me, Lu? Do you hate me because I didn't try to help save Ace, because I left you and Ace when we were kids, because I wasn't there to help you through everything? Do you hate me because I was a horrible big brother?"

Luffy was silent before a loud wail of sorrow tore through his lips. "Stupid Rin!" The small teen leapt forward, wrapping his rubbery limbs around the other brother's waist, burying his face into the boy's chest, tears soaking the shirt. "I thought you were dead! I never thought I'd see you again! I don't hate Rin! I could never hate my big brother! You only wanted to protect us, you didn't know! I don't care what you are, I don't care if you're not human! You're my brother, you're Rin! Stupid big brother!"

Rin's eyes widened slowly before smiling happily with tears shining in his eyes. "We're both big crybabies, huh?"

Luffy said nothing, just continued to bawl into his older brother's shirt.

The whole crew didn't know whether or not they should leave, give the two some time alone, but they didn't have to ask before Luffy unlatched himself from the male, rubbing his watery eyes. Rin turned to them and smiled. "I have to thank you for taking care of my little brother. I know he can be a handful sometimes, but I'm glad you guys were there for him. Thank you for being the family I wasn't able to be."

The crew merely nodded, but no words were needed to know that they were sincere. Nami decided to speak everyone's thoughts. "I can't believe Luffy has another brother! Although, after Ace, we should have expected him to be keeping other secrets."

Rin turned to his little brother. "I think this explanation is twelve years too late."

"Huh?" was Luffy's intelligent response.

Rin merely laughed. "As I've said before, I'm not human, but a demon. Half demon, actually. My father is Satan, the King of Demons. It's why most demons are after me. They are ordered by my father to take me to Gehenna, where demons live. I've escaped them so far, and that blood you and Ace found all those years ago was the result of a battle between me and a couple of ghouls. As you can tell, I barely won. The only reason I lived was because of my demonic healing. I've only grown stronger since then. My goal is to defeat my father and gain the freedom I never truly had."

Luffy laughed. "Cool! You can join my crew!"

The rest of them expected the male to decline his offer like Ace, but they were wrong. "Sure! This is my chance to redeem myself! This time, I'll protect you."

* * *

 **Dude, I really want this to be a real thing! They have no fanart for this prompt! I'm so sad!**

 **Okay, explanation time!**

 **One, Rin's powers are not sealed because at birth, no one ever tried to seal them. Shiro and Yukio don't exist (or at least Yukio never grew up with Rin), so Rin doesn't have (know he has) a blood brother and Shiro never sealed Rin's flames. The Yukio situation can be interpreted however you want to imagine it.**

 **Two, Rin met Ace, Sabo, and Luffy shortly after Luffy joined their group when the three found him near their treehouse.**

 **Any other questions can be asked in the comments! Thanks! Bye my doggies!**


	5. One Piece: Time Travel

**What if Luffy lost his whole crew before he became Pirate King? What if he got a second chance? What if he could change everything at a _cost_?**

* * *

Luffy gripped his head as the screams of his crew echoed in his mind. His face was smeared with blood, his strawhat stained red.

His breathing was ragged, and he knocked the hat off his head as he pulled the dark locks of hair in desperation. "No...no, it's just a dream, a nightmare. Let me wake up, let me wake up! Please!"

A shadow loomed over him and a deep voice boomed above him mercilessly. "This isn't a dream, Strawhat. Say goodnight."

Luffy's shrill scream of sorrow pierced the air as he was decapitated and blood splattered the floor.

* * *

Luffy smiled brightly as his eyes met with Coby's. Coby shook with fear. "Who are you?!"

Luffy almost laughed. He couldn't believe how much of a wimp Coby used to be! Oh well, he'd be stronger in the future! "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become Pirate King! What's your name?"

"C-Coby..." came the hesitant reply.

Luffy simply smiled.

* * *

"What are you doing here? Beat it, kid!" A green-haired man, dirty, beaten, and tied to a post, barked at Luffy.

Luffy smiled at Zoro, but his eyes held a wisdom and pain no child should ever hold. " I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become Pirate King, and I want you to join my crew!"

"What crap are you spewing?" Zoro asked.

"Join my pirate crew!" Luffy repeated.

"No way in hell! I'll never become scum like that!" Zoro spat.

"Come on, not all pirates are bad! Besides, you're already known as a demon around here!" Luffy shrugged.

"I've never done anything in my life I regret!" Zoro glared. "I don't care what anyone thinks of me."

"Then what's the problem?" Luffy asked.

"Shut up!" Zoro growled.

"You have a dream, right? I'll go get your swords and you can get them back if you join my crew!" Luffy laughed.

"What?! How do you- Nevermind! That's blackmail!" Zoro cried in outrage.

Luffy simply laughed and shot himself up on top of the marine base. Zoro gaped. "What in the world is that guy!?"

* * *

When Zoro joined the crew, he didn't expect him to be the only crew member, nor did he think he'd be riding in a dingy.

"Seriously? It's only you and me?" Zoro asked.

"A pirate's gotta start somewhere!" Luffy replied simply.

Zoro grunted and silently admitted the kid was right. In every aspect, the kid was a mystery. He was surprised when the kid seemed to be more happy than scared when Zoro had pointed a sword in his face and threatened to kill him if he got in the way of his dream to become the World's Greatest Swordsman.

His captain sure was a mystery.

* * *

The next crew member was Nami. When Luffy saw her, he couldn't help the few tears that gathered in his eyes.

The memory of her death wasn't a nice one. He could still remember her screams and the sounds of ripping flesh and blood splatters. He could still remember the scene as he watched her slowly get torn apart and burnt alive.

Luffy quickly shook the image away as he stared at Nami, while the girl gave him a confused look. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become Pirate King!"

Nami frowned. "You're a pirate? Pity."

Luffy cocked his head. "I'm hungry."

Nami sweat dropped, but smiled mischievously nonetheless. She had a plan. "I'll treat you!"

Luffy smiled widely. "Food!" Unknown to Nami, his mind wasn't anywhere near the subject of food. He just couldn't be happier to see her again, alive and well.

He'd kick Arlong's ass soon enough.

* * *

Nami didn't know what to make of this boy. She learned he was a pirate, but he saved a village, tried to save a poor dog's treasure, and even though she was pissed about it, left half the money for the village so the town's people could rebuild their island.

Monkey D. Luffy, the boy who wanted to become Pirate King, the boy who was determined he could do it. It was his dream, he'd said.

When Nami looked at his smile, the way he laughed and smirked in the face of danger, she couldn't help but see herself, because his eyes didn't match his grin. His eyes were shattered, broken, and held something nobody should ever hold.

It was a mask, that much she knew. She knew a fake smile when she saw one, and he put up a lot of them.

She couldn't help but wonder why the only genuine smile she ever saw was directed towards her and Zoro, especially when she had stuck him in a cage and tricked him.

Nami really didn't understand this boy.

* * *

"Who are you?" Usopp asked shakily.

Luffy smiled at Usopp. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become Pirate King!"

"Pirate! I have a million men on my side! You'll never take this village!" Usopp gloated.

"You mean those three?" Nami pointed at the kids in the bushes. They ran away screaming while Luffy laughed.

"Don't mock me!" Usopp growled, pointing his slingshot at Luffy and his friends.

Luffy grinned dangerously as Usopp threatened to shoot them, pulling his hat over his eyes. "Bet your life on it."

"W-What?" Usopp asked shakily, knees trembling.

"A gun's not made for threats, it's made for action," Luffy said lowly.

Zoro smirked and flicked his sword from its sheath. "We're real pirates."

Usopp was starting to sweat before he dropped to his knees. "A real pirate's word is much more intimidating. I should have known."

Luffy started to laugh. "I stole that line from Shanks. Your dad's name is Yasopp, right?"

"You know my dad?!" Usopp gaped, falling off the cliff side before sitting back up.

"Yeah! He could shoot the wings off of a fly from a long way away!" Luffy grinned.

"How about I treat you to some food, and you can tell me about him?" Usopp smiled.

"I'm starving!" Luffy laughed, but inwardly, he cared more about the fact that weak as he may be, Usopp was standing in front of him, the spark of life in his eyes once again.

* * *

Usopp didn't understand why this pirate would go to such lengths to help a coward like himself defeat the all-powerful Captain Kuro.

Luffy smiled a lot, laughed a lot, and seemed very naive most of the time, but as much as Usopp didn't want to admit it, the straw-hatted boy's eyes held a pain that dug so deep into his soul, Usopp wasn't sure he wanted to know the cause of it.

* * *

Luffy was ecstatic when he saw Sanji. As much as Zoro and him fought, in the end, Sanji had given his life to protect the swordsman.

Luffy refused to cry, but the bags under his eyes and the stress eating away at him for not sleeping was making him way too emotional for comfort.

He couldn't sleep. The nightmares were too much. He hoped his crew wouldn't notice.

Luffy smiled at the blonde chef. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become Pirate King! Join my crew!"

"Sorry, but I don't want to be a pirate. I refuse," was the response the boy got.

"I refuse your refusal!" Luffy pouted.

"What?" Sanji raised an incredulous eyebrow at the eccentric teen.

"I refuse your refusal! I want you to be my chef!" Luffy huffed.

"Listen, I have my reasons for staying here!" Sanji hissed, biting his cigarette in frustration.

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"I don't have to tell you!" Sanji yelled.

"But you told me to listen!" Luffy whined.

Sanji growled and tried to kick him, but Luffy silently laughed with tears. He'd missed Sanji.

* * *

Sanji watched the rubber boy pounce around and taunt Don Krieg. He watched the idiot toy and mess with the man, laughing all the way.

Luffy was powerful for sure, despite his small, lanky frame and innocent demeanor.

The boy, no matter how many times he bled, no matter how many times he almost landed in the ocean, kept getting right back up and fighting strong.

Sanji didn't understand how one person could have so many lives.

Zeff seemed to understand, for he told Sanji the boy had more willpower to live than any other man on the sea.

As Sanji watched, he had to agree with the old geezer. The rubber idiot really had more willpower than any other man Sanji had met.

It made the chef wonder where all the will came from.

* * *

Luffy smiled softly at the little reindeer. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become Pirate King!"

Chopper said nothing and glared at him before transforming into his huge form to try and scare Luffy.

"You're a monster," Luffy said.

"So what?!" Chopper cried out in defense.

"But I'm a monster, too! See?" Luffy grinned and pulled his cheek to impossible lengths.

Chopper's eyes widened before narrowing. "That's not the same."

Luffy shrugged. "If it isn't, so what? Being a monster is great!"

"No, it's not! What would you know?!" Chopper growled.

"You don't know how to be a monster if you hate it! You must be a lonely monster!" Luffy said.

Chopper grew confused. "What?"

"A lonely monster scares people and uses his strength to hurt others. A monster with friends uses his abilities to protect his friends. I'm a monster, but I wouldn't change it for the world! I can protect my crew better that way!"

Chopper frowned. "But what about what others say about you?"

"That doesn't matter. You go back to your crew, drink and make jokes! They'll tell you that you're their friend, and nobody else's opinion matters but theirs, right? Because who cares about a stranger's opinion when the only opinion that matters is your friends'?"

Chopper's eyes grew glassy. "Luffy..."

"Join my crew! Become my nakama!" Luffy cried.

"Luffy!" Chopper wailed.

* * *

Chopper didn't believe he'd ever find people who would accept him. He believed he'd be alone forever, but Luffy proved him wrong.

Luffy was right. He was lonely, but now that he had friends, being a monster didn't seem so bad anymore.

A human and a monster, picking between them didn't seem so hard anymore, not when Chopper knew which option allowed him to better protect his nakama!

* * *

Shortly after Chopper joined, the reindeer noticed something worrying. "Hey, guys? Has Luffy been getting enough sleep?"

"What do you mean, Chopper?" Nami asked.

"I mean, he's more sluggish than he should be, he has bags under his eyes, and he looks too sickly." Chopper frowned.

The crew's expressions became concerned. "I didn't notice..." Nami trailed off.

"I don't think any of us did," Zoro said.

"But why would Luffy have a hard time sleeping? I mean, he seems fine to me," Vivi said.

Nami bit her lip. "I don't know if any of you noticed, but Luffy seems a bit more broken than he acts. His eyes are..."

"Yeah, I think we've all seen it." Sanji nodded, the mood not quite right for him to faun over the orange-haired female.

Chopper frowned. "If I'm going to be this crew's doctor, then I'm going to have to be on top of all of your guys' health. I think I need to talk to Luffy."

"It's for the best. If Luffy isn't getting enough sleep, then he won't be at his best when the time comes," Zoro reasoned.

* * *

When dinner time came, Chopper spoke up. "Luffy, you know I'm a doctor, right?"

Luffy looked at him, expression confused, almost bewildered, as if he wasn't expecting Chopper to say something like that. "Of course you are. It's one of the reasons you're on my crew, next to being my nakama."

Chopper tried to smile, but it came out slightly forced because of the worry. "Yeah. Luffy, how much sleep do you get every night?"

The question made Luffy stiffen and dark-circled eyes widen. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The crew frowned at his reaction. Chopper continued. "Luffy, answer me."

Luffy stayed silent before setting his hands in his lap, eyes downcast, nervous. "I don't know...I try not to sleep, but I usually end up falling asleep for about an hour or so every now and again, unfortunately."

"Luffy, what do you mean you 'try not to?' You need sleep! Why don't you want to sleep?" Chopper frowned.

Luffy fidgeted in his seat, something that was very un-Luffy. "I have nightmares. Really bad nightmares. I scream a lot during them, and I didn't want to worry any of you. I'm the Captain, and weakness isn't something I'm allowed to show."

Silence swept across the crew, and Zoro stood.

* * *

The swordsman didn't know when his view on Luffy changed, but it did.

He wanted to be the World's Greatest Swordsman, that was a given, but it never included living up to anyone's expectations but his own (and most likely Mihawk's).

Since he'd joined Luffy, though, it seemed as if now he was determined to live up to Luffy's expectations, become the best not only for himself, but for Luffy as well.

His Captain wasn't weak, and he was allowed to come to them to talk if he needed to. He was supposed to trust them, supposed to be able to talk to them.

Whatever burden Luffy carried should be shared with the rest of the crew. Luffy didn't have to do this alone. It's why he had his crew, had his nakama. Zoro voiced this.

Luffy frowned. "I don't want to keep you guys up at night just because I can't handle some stupid dreams."

"Luffy, if what you're saying is true, you might have PTSD," Chopper informed him.

"PTSD?" Luffy asked.

"It means post-traumatic stress disorder. It can't be cured, but therapy can help. It means you've suffered something so traumatic that it damages your mental health," Chopper explained.

Luffy laughed slightly. "More than once, I suppose."

The crew frowned in worry at this, but Luffy smiled at them again, silencing any words they wanted to say. "I'll sleep more if that's what you're worried about, but if I start screaming, you have to wake me up, okay?"

"That's fine, Luffy. We wouldn't do anything less." Vivi tried to comfort the Strawhat captain.

Luffy smiled tiredly at them. "Thank you."

* * *

That night, Luffy closed his eyes, but a mere few hours later, the whole ship was woken up by screams of sorrow and terror. "STOP! STOP, I'M TELLING YOU TO STOP! LET THEM GO! STOP, PLEASE! IT HURTS, DON'T TOUCH THEM!"

Zoro was the first one out of bed and next to Luffy, Nami and Vivi rushing in from the girl's cabin and into the boy's.

The whole crew stood behind the first mate as he grabbed Luffy by the shoulders and jerked him upright. "Wake up, idiot! Luffy!"

Nami, Chopper, Vivi, and Usopp were shocked at the harsh treatment, but it seemed to do the trick, for Luffy stopped screaming as his breathing evened out and his heartbeat slowed to a normal pace. His eyes opened slightly, still droopy from sleep. "Zoro...?"

"Yeah, it's me," Zoro confirmed.

Luffy trembled slightly. "You didn't see it, did you?"

"See what?" Zoro asked.

This made the black-haired teen smile. "Good."

Zoro frowned at that, but said nothing. Chopper leaned forward. "What happened, Luffy?"

"I was drowning. It sounds dumb, but I was drowning. Not in water, no, it was thicker and really red. It smelled like copper and tasted like metal."

The crew, besides Zoro and Sanji, shivered at his words, but said nothing. Luffy continued to speak. "I watched them all die in front of me, dropping one by one as they burned and bled in front of my very eyes. The blood spilled everywhere, and it began to rise. There was so much that I began to drown in it. I could smell it, feel it, taste it, even hear it as it bubbled and popped while the burning magma boiled it, turning their bodies to ashes. I couldn't feel anything, but watching them all die...it hurt a lot."

"Who were they, Luffy?" Zoro asked softly, but also sharply.

Luffy laughed lightly, borderline on hysteria. "You."

Luffy fell back to sleep, but nobody else could close their eyes after that.

It was okay, though. They'd learn.

* * *

The Strawhats were surprised to learn Luffy had a brother, especially when that brother was Fire-Fist Ace, Second Commander of Whitebeard.

"I have to thank you all for looking after my little brother. I know he can be a handful." Ace smiled at them.

"Not at all," they spoke in sync.

Ace agreed to travel with them for a little bit, and Chopper was overjoyed for reasons that involved Luffy.

Before dinner, Chopper dragged Ace into his doctor's office and shut the door. "Uh, you need something?" Ace asked the small reindeer.

"Yes, actually." Chopper nodded and sat down. "I was wondering if you had any advice for us."

"Advice?" Ace frowned in confusion.

Chopper cocked his head, blinking slowly. "You know, for Luffy's nightmares. Is there any way we can prevent them? Maybe help calm him down quicker? I give him sleeping pills, but they don't help all the time and eventually his body will become immune, and I'll have to give him more and more. It won't be good for his body's immune system if I give him too much."

Ace blinked in shock. "Nightmares? I'm sorry, I don't understand. Luffy has nightmares?"

"You mean you don't know?" Chopper frowned. "He wakes up screaming, usually dreams about everyone around him dying. Drowning in blood, us burning to a crisp in front of him. His nightmares even go as far as having him eat our dead bodies to keep us with him forever."

Ace almost choked. "That's...Jesus, what the hell kind of dreams are those?"

"It's Luffy's subconscious. Whatever he's gone through did something to him, and it's left him with horrible mental scars," Chopper explained sadly.

Ace swallowed. "I'm sorry, I don't think I'll be much help."

Chopper sighed. "That's fine. You didn't know about them, so it's not your fault. Come on, let's get back to the others."

Chopper stood and walked out, but Ace sat there for a while longer.

Ace wanted to throw up, his throat was tightening. What the hell had happened to his little brother?

* * *

That night, screaming was heard across the ship. Ace bolted up, recognizing his little brother's screams immediately.

Unfortunately, there was no room in the men's cabin for Ace, so he slept in the girl's cabin. They didn't mind, but Nami threatened that if he did anything, she would maim him.

A soft, tired, and sad voice reached his ears. "Go back to sleep, Ace."

His eyes shot to Nami in the dark, watching her lie there with sad eyes. He saw Vivi, too, awake and worried.

"Sleep? My brother-" He was cut off.

"It's Sanji's turn tonight. Luffy usually only wakes up once a night, so we switch off from person to person for who gets to calm Luffy down. We have to wait until the screaming stops, then we know it's okay," Vivi murmured.

Ace shook. He couldn't believe this. His baby brother was suffering, and where was he this whole time?!

"He's my brother," was Ace's rebuttal as he bolted out the door and to the men's cabin.

He met eyes with Sanji in the cabin as Luffy's scream echoed in their ears. Sanji stared at him as Ace spoke. "He's my brother."

No other words were needed as Sanji nodded and climbed back into bed.

Ace knelt beside his sibling, shaking the boy. "Lu, wake up! Get up, Lu! Luffy!"

Luffy stopped screaming and his eyes snapped open, orbs holding pain, guilt, sorrow, and more. Ace couldn't breath. "Ace..." Luffy whispered.

"It's okay, Lu. I'm right here, okay? I'm right here..." Ace murmured, holding his brother close to his chest in a tight hug. Ace tried not to cry.

"Ace..." Luffy whimpered.

"Tell me about it," Ace murmured to his younger brother.

"It was about you this time, just you. It wasn't a dream this time, though. It was a memory." Luffy's sleep-deprived mind didn't care what he was saying. "I saved you, but you took the bait. You tried to go after him, but he went after me when I was weak. You jumped in front of me just to take the hit. He burned a hole in your chest, and you died in my arms. All I can remember was the feel of your blood on my hands, under my nails, and the rest is blank. I went crazy. I think I fell to insanity for a while, too. I can't remember much."

Ace sniffed. "That never happened, Lu. I'm right here."

"It did happen." Luffy pulled away from his brother, staring Ace in the eyes. "I remember it like it was yesterday."

Ace's stomach coiled at Luffy's shattered eyes, filled with pain and sorrow made for a dead man. His sweet, innocent, naive, happy, little brother wasn't here anymore. He was gone, erased, and shattered to pieces. "Lu, that never happened. I'm alive."

Luffy shook his head, tears cascading down his cheeks. "Ace, I made a deal, and I have to pay the price. This all has a cost."

"What are you talking about?" Ace's question sounded more like begging.

"I'll save you, Ace, and one day, I'll finish my mission. This came at a cost, and I have to pay the price, okay? I want you all to live, even if it's at my expense. They all completed their dreams, but I was the only one who still had a few more steps to go. I'll save you all this time, I promise." Luffy gave Ace this big, teary-eyed smile, so full of hope.

Luffy's words rung in his head, and even if they didn't make sense, something in him snapped as he cried into his brother's shoulder.

* * *

Ace turned around to go after the Admiral, but Luffy's hand snatched his wrist. "Are you an idiot?! He's baiting you! Move your ass and leave him!"

Ace didn't have much of a choice but to listen as Luffy dragged the elder towards Whitebeard's ship. Luckily, Whitebeard had survived, staying on the ship.

"Set sail!" Luffy's cry echoed out.

They made it to the ship, sailing off as the battle behind them raged. Once they touched the deck, Luffy collapsed in his brother's arms.

"Luffy!" Ace cried. "We need a doctor!"

The Whitebeard crew gathered around him, but Luffy simply smiled and spoke in an almost robotic tone, "Mission accomplished."

Ace had survived.

* * *

Shanks's crew was there, Whitebeard's crew was there, Sabo was there, all of his friends were there.

This was the moment everyone had died, everyone had disappeared. Luffy wouldn't let it happen again.

Luffy didn't waste time as he lunged toward Akainu, ending it before it could begin.

His crew and the others had taken down the rest of the marines, and Luffy smiled peacefully. He could already feel himself fading.

"Lu!" Ace and Sabo.

"Anchor!" Shanks.

"Luffy!" His crew.

Luffy looked at all of them, his crew, Shanks, Ace, and Sabo. "This is the end, huh?"

"What's going on?!" Franky cried.

Luffy laughed, turning his head towards Ace. "You remember what I said in Alabasta, don't you?"

Ace's eyes widened. "No..."

"I never told any of you, but you were all supposed to die here today. I was the last to go. Ace and Whitebeard were supposed to die at Marineford after Ace took Akainu's taunting bait, and Whitebeard fought in a rage. I went back in time to save you all, but that came at a price. I can't be here anymore. You've all accomplished your dreams, and I couldn't be happier." Luffy smiled brightly at them, but no one could recuperate his happiness.

"What about your dream?" Sanji barked.

"My dream? It was to become King of the Pirates, but after you all died, that was just a cover up. My dream now has been to save you all, and I did it. My dream is complete," Luffy explained. "Besides, you all believed in me, didn't you?"

"Of course we did!" Shanks yelled.

"Then that's all I need to call myself Pirate King." Luffy laughed. "Shishishishi."

"Luffy..." Sabo choked on his own words.

"You know, last time, I died screaming and crying for you all to come back, for it all to be a dream." Luffy smiled sadly at their horrified faces. "This time, though, I can die with a smile. So, don't be sad. I'm grateful."

Luffy's body had faded during his speech, turning more and more transparent with every minute. "Please, smile for me. I don't want to see you all cry before I'm finally gone."

They all smiled at him, but it was filled with tears and sadness. Luffy figured it would have to do.

He smiled and waved at them. "Live with no regrets!" And he was gone.

They all started to cry, and no one was exempt from the crushing emotion of grief and sadness.

They swore they could all hear his voice echoing around them, speaking the words they'd all heard the first time they'd met him.

 _I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become Pirate King!_

* * *

 **Okay! Real sad, but oh well! I know I skipped a lot of parts, as well as Luffy finding out (again) Sabo was alive. I also skipped Robin's, Franky's, and Brook's joining, and a lot of other parts, including their separation and Boa Hancock's arc, but that's how the plot was made out. Hope you liked this! Bye my doggies!**


	6. GotP: Leave It Alone

**What if a student discovered Kaneki's true nature? Takes place after this book/Post-Ghosts of the Past!**

* * *

Luke didn't understand why the college let Kaneki back, but he wasn't okay with it.

The criminal known as Centipede was suspicioned to be Kaneki, according to many rumors around campus. It didn't help that once that news report of Ned's framing came out, Kaneki 'mysteriously' disappeared. Not to mention the white hair and matching eyes.

Of course, those Tokyo police had revealed that Kaneki was not a criminal because they had already gotten Centipede. The students were still reluctant to accept Kaneki back, especially when the rumors were still fresh, but they eventually died down, and with Ned hanging around Kaneki, the rumors of Kaneki being Centipede lessened because, really...who would be friends with the person who framed you?

Now, everyone had become neutral around Kaneki, didn't suspect him, nor did they try and harass him about the topic.

Luke, on the other hand, didn't buy any of it. Kaneki was Centipede, and why the Tokyo Police Force let Kaneki get away was a mystery to him, unless the guy framed another person because he had more business in Grandview.

Luke never voiced his suspicions because he knew what kind of backlash he would get, and if Kaneki felt threatened enough, the guy would surely kill him.

He glared across the hall at the three students, Ned, Lily, Kaneki, and the recent student, Hide.

Hide was relatively new, but he'd been around for a few months. It seemed that Kaneki and Hide had known each other previously, so the male was accepted into the group instantly.

They were talking, smiling, just like normal people, but Luke didn't succumb to the act. He wondered if Lily and Ned were as fooled as everyone else or if they were in on Kaneki's 'hobbies'.

For now, he wouldn't suspect the other two, but Kaneki was already doomed, and Hide's previous associations with Kaneki made Luke wary of the blonde. Luke would get proof, one way or another, because from all the movies he watched, the person who found out the truth first always got killed first. He did not want to die!

He watched Lily and Ned wave to Kaneki as they turned and disappeared down the hall, moving on to their next class.

In the midst of the crowded hallway, Kaneki turned and locked eyes with Luke. His expression was blank, calm, and Luke shuddered.

Luke remembered the news report, how Centipede had a mask covering his left eye, or right eye to the white-haired male, but Kaneki had an eyepatch covering his right eye, or left eye to the blank-faced student.

Luke wondered what Kaneki could have to hide under that eyepatch of his, when that news report had shown nothing was wrong with it. Rumors had it that the eyepatch was because the guy had an accident, but Luke knew nothing was wrong with his eye.

They stared at one another and Luke eventually glared at the other male. Kaneki kept his calm facade, merely raising an eyebrow at Luke curiously before shrugging and walking off. Hide stared at him pensively for a few moments before following his friend.

' _I know your dirty little secret, you murderer! You should know never to turn your back on the enemy!_ ' Luke thought spitefully.

* * *

Kaneki didn't understand why Luke hated him so much.

"Luke's glaring at you again," Ned said nervously.

"I can feel it burning into my back." Kaneki smiled slightly. "I know."

"What's his problem anyway?" Lily asked, but didn't dare turn her eyes in Luke's direction.

"I'm not sure. Maybe he still has suspicions? We can't honestly think everyone forgot and dropped the rumors." Kaneki shrugged, but his eyes bugged out a second later, voice dropping to a panicked whisper. "You don't think he knows I'm a ghoul, does he?"

The three frowned worriedly, but Hide was first to speak. "Most likely not. I mean, the only thing the CCG exposed was that Centipede was a murderer. If he does suspect, then that's the only thing you have to worry about. I don't think he knows about your 'eating habits'."

This seemed to comfort Kaneki some. "I guess, but being suspected of murder is still bad."

"It's not like he's wrong." Hide pointed out.

Kaneki, Ned and Lily glared at the blonde. "Not helping."

Hide only pouted.

Kaneki huffed. "I'm better now, though. I haven't killed anyone in months! Suicide victims only."

"Lucky for you, they've been in good supply, but what happens when you run out?" Ned asked.

"Criminals, such as killers, rapists, etc. This is New York! There's plenty of them running around!" Kaneki replied.

"Whatever. It's not like Luke has any proof, and he'll lay off sooner or later. We just have to be patient," Lily said.

"I guess you're right." Kaneki sighed.

* * *

Luke glared daggers at Kaneki's back, video camera in hand. He'd get his proof, right here and right now.

He thought of using his phone, but the data would be too easily erased, and if he used a camcorder, he'd be able to drop the device to distract the male and keep the card with his proof.

"What are you doing?" Luke jumped at the voice. He turned around to see Ned.

"Kaneki's Centipede, I know he is! You have to believe me! He's the guy who framed you!" Luke told him.

"Luke, Centipede was caught and put on death trial. Besides, I wouldn't be friends with my kidnapper." Ned sighed.

"I'm sorry you can't believe me, but I'm not going to sit here and let people get hurt because nobody will do anything! You're all too blind!" Luke growled.

Ned blinked at him before sighing. "Luke, just leave it alone. Please." Ned walked away, and Luke stared after him.

"I can't leave it alone."

* * *

He'd followed (stalked) Kaneki and Hide all the way to a small antique shop. As he watched through the glass, they were speaking with a woman who looked to be the owner. If Luke had to take a guess, he guessed the three knew each other.

Kaneki and Hide waved goodbye to the woman and began walking towards the doors. Luke ducked down and ran around the corner, waiting for the two to wander down the street far enough for him to begin following them again.

* * *

Luke was starting to get very cranky. He'd been following the two college students for hours now! It was already getting dark and he hadn't even caught anything worth getting on tape!

The two had wandered around Grandview, just talking. They stopped to eat once, and Luke noticed Kaneki hadn't eaten anything. It was peculiar, especially since Kaneki had walked around for quite a while and hadn't eaten since he left the dorms, but Luke didn't think too much on it.

He was about to start heading back towards campus, losing hope on catching anything, before he realized he'd wandered into an abandoned part of the town, Kaneki and Hide far ahead of him.

He stopped and stared suspiciously. What were those two doing walking around here? This was the place most of the animal attacks had taken place! Nobody wandered around here much anymore, especially at dark.

He whipped around to hide behind a building, shooting his head around the corner to watch the males.

"Why are we here again?" Hide asked.

Kaneki raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Ghouls, remember? Amon, Akira, and Arima can only do so much to try and keep them in Tokyo. New York is a big place, plenty of humans, so luckily, most of them come here first and I take care of them. It's-"

Hide cut the male off. "Yeah, yeah, your territory, I get it!"

Kaneki pursed his lips and gave his friend an unamused look. "Anyway! I've been getting scents, so I decided to check it out tonight. It's a weekend, thankfully."

Luke frowned. Ghouls? Scent? Territory? Humans? What were they talking about? The boy fumbled with his camcorder and clicked record, pointing the night vision at Kaneki and Hide.

"Okay, so why'd you bring me?" Hide asked.

"Bait." Kaneki shrugged.

"What?! I recall Ned offering to be bait last time, and you refused! Why are you okay with me being bait?!" Hide whined.

"Hide, you were with the CCG. You're perfectly capable of defending yourself if need be. Second, I'm not going to let anything hurt you." Kaneki tried to soothe his friend's worry.

Hide rolled his eyes. "Just because you're the big, bad, SSS-rated Centipede, doesn't mean you're invincible."

Luke gulped, eyes wide. So, he was right! Kaneki was Centipede, and he had it all on tape! But...what were ghouls? There was obviously more to this than what he'd previously assumed.

Kaneki sighed. "Fine, you don't-"

"Hold on a minute, I never said I wouldn't do it. I was just asking." Hide pointed accusingly at the white-haired male.

Kaneki blinked at the blonde before sighing loudly. "I will never understand you. Get into position, you know what to do."

"Roger that!" Hide chirped, skipping toward the darker part of the shadow-covered alleyways. Kaneki merely walked away, disappearing into the darkness.

Luke wondered how someone could be so calm when they were bait for...ghouls, whatever they were.

He stood there, recording for a few minutes before wondering how long this would take. He didn't need to think too long before a deep chuckle sounded from where Hide was standing.

"And what are you doing here, human?" The voice asked, tone dripping in false concern.

Hide turned around. "Just waiting for my signal!"

The man stepped into the light, and Luke tried not to shriek. He had two wings, grey and almost molting, sharp at the edges. His eyes were completely black with a red iris and pupil.

' _Ghoul_ ,' Luke silently realized with horror.

"Signal?" The ghoul laughed mockingly. "Well, I have some good news for you. You won't be waiting much longer."

The ghoul lunged, but Hide just stared at him and stayed in his position. "You're not very bright, are you?"

The ghoul wasn't able to answer as a black and white blur tackled him out of the air, slamming him into a wall.

Luke heard grunts as the dust cleared and two figures came into view. The ghoul and Centipede.

' _Kaneki,_ ' Luke thought numbly. The male had his mask on, but Luke knew that white hair from anywhere.

Luke's thoughts whirred to his camera, turning to get a good view of the two battling people.

He looked to see Hide, standing there almost bored as Kaneki chucked the large ghoul into the concrete below them, making a large crater and sending dust flying.

Kaneki landed above the ghoul and Luke watched as the masked murderer turned to look at Hide. "You okay?"

"Perfectly fine. Took you long enough, though," Hide complained.

Luke couldn't see Kaneki's face, but he was sure the man had rolled his eyes.

Luke's mind skipped through the information he'd learned tonight before doing a double take. Kaneki had thrown a man twice his size, something inhuman and something that probably had super strength, into a wall and then into the pavement. That wasn't possible, not for a human!

His thoughts were halted as four, red, tentacle-like appendages grew from Kaneki's back and his visible eye made itself known.

His camera zoomed in with its night vision, and Luke couldn't stop himself from dropping the camera loudly with a clatter.

Kaneki's eye was pitch black, red iris and pupil glowing like the ghoul's below him.

' _Kaneki's a ghoul,_ ' Luke thought, terrified.

The clatter made Luke flinch sharply, and he knew it was too much to wish for that neither ghoul or human heard it.

Hide and Kaneki's attention whipped to Luke, even with him hiding around the corner.

Luke closed his eyes and tried not to breath, but when a tight, warm grip was placed around his waist, he snapped his eyes open and looked down to see one of the appendages Kaneki had sprouted wrapped around his frame. Luke couldn't stop the terrified scream that ripped from his throat if he wanted to.

Luke was pulled around the corner and toward the single human and two ghouls.

He came face to face with Kaneki's inhuman eye, staring at him with slight shock, confusion, and fear.

"Luke?" Hide's voice rung behind him. Luke made an effort to turn towards it, watching Hide's face twist with confused emotions. "Well, this is a surprise. Now, we have to deal with Luke and another ghoul. This is turning out to be a wonderful day, isn't it, Neki?"

"This isn't time for jokes, Hide," Kaneki's voice spoke.

"It's always time for jokes! It's how I deal with stressful situations!" Hide pouted.

Kaneki's aggravated grumble made Luke stiffen. Was he going to kill him for being a witness? Luke cursed himself for being so clumsy.

Suddenly, Luke was set down beside Hide, the weird appendage undoing itself from his waist and curling back towards Kaneki. "Hide, watch him. I'm going to take care of this ghoul. I'll be back."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Hide cheered, cheekily saluting his masked friend.

Luke was pulled from his inner turmoil as Kaneki quickly picked up the pinned ghoul and chucked him far away, Kaneki right behind before the two were out of sight.

"Be thankful. Kaneki's not usually merciful to the ghouls that invade his territory and play with their food, so you won't have to see him tear the other guy to bits." Hide laughed behind him.

"F-food?" Luke stuttered, scolding himself for sounding so pathetic.

"Oh, yeah, most people don't know what ghouls are. Ghouls are creatures that look human, but as you can tell, aren't. They have kagune, which were those things on Kaneki's and the other guy's back. It's used to fight and defend. They also have kakugan, which are what their eyes are called when they go red and black. Ghouls can only eat human flesh. Regular food tastes gross and makes them sick," Hide explained casually.

"What?! Those two eat live people?!" Luke panicked.

"Well, the other guy does, but Kaneki prefers suicide victims, or criminals if the supply is low." Hide shrugged.

"Were those Tokyo Police actually officers?" Luke asked quietly.

"Nah. They're the CCG. They kill ghouls, and recently, Kaneki and I have been able to compromise with three of them. Not all ghouls are bad, take Kaneki for example. Despite his period of insanity and the time he went on a killing spree, he's innocent."

"K-killing spree?! In-insanity!?" Luke sputtered.

"Woah, calm down! He only went on a killing spree because he was lost to insanity! He's a kakuja, and being incomplete makes one mentally unstable. He's complete now, so you don't have to worry." Hide waved his hands as he explained.

"Kakuja?" Luke prided himself on the fact that he hadn't stuttered.

"A ghoul who eats other ghouls. The ghoul version of cannibalism, I guess, since ghouls eating humans isn't really cannibalism. Kakujas get an extra set of kagune, and Kaneki's kakuja look like centipedes, so the CCG nicknamed him Centipede. Believe it or not, before he was a kakuja, his nickname was Eyepatch." Hide laughed.

A sudden thump of feet made Luke jump. He turned around to see Kaneki covered in splatters of blood, kakugan still active, but kagune gone.

Hide raised an eyebrow at the kakuja. "You get him?"

"What does it look like? Done and over with," Kaneki replied, "What's up with him?" Kaneki jerked his head in Luke's direction.

"Explained things to him, for the most part at least. Not sure how he's taking it." Hide shrugged.

"I knew you were Centipede!" Luke blurted, mentally yelling at himself for being stupid. Seriously, that's the first thing out of his mouth?

Kaneki raised his eyebrows, surprised. "If that's all you have to say, then I think you're taking this pretty well."

Luke flushed, but didn't dare say anything. Kaneki continued to speak. "And I take it this is yours?" The ghoul held up a camcorder.

Luke's eyes widened, but before he could speak, the equipment was crushed easily in Kaneki's palms. "Sorry, but I can't have you exposing me."

Luke wasn't sure what to say, but his mouth spewed his thoughts before he could stop himself. "What makes you think I can't just tell anyone? That the animal attacks were actually creatures that eat people and you're one of them?"

"Who would believe you? Face it, if someone told you that, you would call them crazy in a heartbeat." Kaneki eyed the male.

Luke paled and didn't answer, but knew that the ghoul was right. He couldn't tell anyone, and he would continue to know about Kaneki being a man-eating creature! But...

"What about the CCG?" Luke glared. Both males froze for a second before Hide laughed. "You realize we have three CCG doves on our side, and one of them is the CCG's Reaper, the number one ghoul exterminator and leader. Telling the CCG won't do anything with Arima on our side."

Luke became uncomfortable. He couldn't do anything, he had to let it go, let Kaneki continue to eat people, even if they were already dead or criminals. It still made him sick.

And to know that other ghouls were running around, if Luke were ever in the wrong place at the wrong time, he could become some beast's meal!

"Why couldn't you leave it alone, Luke?" Kaneki asked.

Leave it alone.

 _Leave it alone._

 ** _Leave it alone._**

 ** _Leave it alone._**

 ** _LEAVE IT ALONE!_**

Luke wished he'd just left it alone.

* * *

 **This oneshot was requested personally by my sister, CreepStalker324 (MyDisplayOfLite). You might not completely understand this oneshot if you haven't watched Tokyo Ghoul or read my book this oneshot originated from because there are some references to it. Bye my doggies!**


	7. One Piece: Different Home

**What if Luffy was sent to another universe where things went differently?**

* * *

Luffy didn't know what had happened. One moment, he was with his crew on another mysterious island, exploring and having another adventure.

Now, he's on a ship that Luffy _recognizes, because it's the Moby Dick, the ship Ace used to sail on with his crew, Pineapple Head, Giant Banana Mustache Man, but thinkingofAcehurtand-_

"Kid, what are you doing here, yoi? Who are you, yoi?" Luffy looked up to see Marco.

"Pineapple Head?" His voice was breathy, almost shocked. "Why am I here?"

"Wha-? The only person who calls me that is-" Marco wasn't able to finish as his mind processed the teen's face. "LUFFY?!"

"Oi, what's going on?" A voice asked and two familiar faces came into view.

Luffy couldn't move. His throat tightened, his body heated up, and tears sprung to his eyes. "Ace...Sabo...That's not..."

"Luffy?" Sabo almost choked. "Why do you look so...old?!"

"What?" Luffy asked, but a voice echoed behind him.

"What's going on?" A cheerful voice asked happily.

Luffy turned around to come face to face with... thirteen-year-old Luffy?!

The two Luffy's stared at one another before gaping. "Waaaaahhhh?!"

"What's going on?" Ace screeched.

* * *

Luffy stared up at Whitebeard. He was seeing a dead man, Ace and Sabo being the first.

"Giant Ossan..." Luffy murmured.

"Gurararara! You cheeky brat!" Whitebeard laughed. "So, I hear you're Monkey D. Luffy?"

"Of course I am!" Luffy shouted before pausing. "Although I'm not sure why a thirteen-year-old me is running around on your ship...with Ace and Sabo of all things! Is Thatch here, too?"

"Right behind you." Luffy turned to see Thatch, alive and well.

"This can not be happening..." Luffy muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"Do you mind explaining what exactly is going on?" Marco frowned.

Luffy sighed. "I think I may have gotten sent to a different world."

"Huh?" Little Luffy wondered.

"A different world, universe, whatever. This is probably, like, a different reality, like...another way my life could have turned out..." Luffy's voice became uncharacteristically quiet near the end.

"So, what's your world like? And why are you so shocked to see Ace, Sabo, and I?" Thatch asked.

Luffy frowned and fiddled with his hands. "I...in my world...things went a lot differently. Sabo...he died during the Grey Terminal incident. He set out to sea and Celestial Dragons shot his boat down. What happened here?"

Sabo swallowed dryly. "I...survived. Ace and our Luffy dragged me back to Dadan's hut and got me treated. I still have a burn scar, though. We set out to sea after that. Marco found us and we've been here ever since." Sabo pointed to his eye.

Luffy frowned and rubbed his watery eyes. "Ace swore he wouldn't die. Ace left when he was seventeen and joined Gia-Whitebeard later. I stayed in Foosha until I was seventeen, then set out. Right now, I'm in the second half of the Grand Line with my crew. We're pretty infamous pirates. Shortly after we arrived in the Grand Line, Ace told me he was searching for a man named Marshall D. Teach, AKA Blackbeard. He killed Thatch and betrayed you guys for a Devil Fruit, the Yami Yami no mi. Afterwards, my crew and I were separated, and I found out Ace was sent to get executed at Marineford. I stormed the place to save him, but in the end, he sacrificed himself to Akainu to save my life. He...broke his promise and died in my arms. Whitebeard died fighting and Blackbeard somehow got his Devil Fruit as well and didn't explode. This scar on my chest...it's from Marineford. I bare it to the world to show everyone that I've been through hell, and I've lost my family more than once, but I'm going to keep pushing forward because I haven't lost everyone and the world isn't going to take me down."

Silence spread through them. Little Luffy sniffed. "Ace, Sabo, Thatch, and Oyaji...died?"

"For me, yeah." Luffy turned his head to look at his brothers. "I feel like I'm looking at ghosts. It hurts...my throat is tightening too much, my heart is squeezing so badly I'm afraid it might burst, and I wish you were _my_ Ace and Sabo, but you aren't. I'm sorry."

Sabo and Ace couldn't form words. It may not have been their Luffy, but the way Luffy addressed Whitebeard and Marco, it proved that it was still Luffy, and they felt like they'd failed their little brother, even if it was alternate versions of themselves.

"Luffy-" Ace and Sabo were cut off.

"I wanna go home," Luffy whimpered, tears burning behind his closed eyelids. He opened them and stared at the pirates with anguish, guilt, pain, and sadness. "I don't want to do this anymore. I can't look at Ace or Sabo without feeling hatred and envy and guilt because this universe has my brothers, this universe's me has his whole family, and them being alive here makes me feel like your Luffy came through for you, and I failed to do the same for my brothers. My chest hurts, I can hardly speak, I just want to fall down and cry, bawl, because I can't take this. I want to go home, back to my crew, back where I don't feel like I'm dying inside."

"Because while my brothers are alive and well and I'm so glad I got to see them again, they're not _mine_ and _mine_ are gone and never coming back and standing here proves that." Luffy couldn't stop the waterfalls of tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Everything turned out differently in my world, everything happened differently, and I want to go back home, where I still have my nakama, where everything is different, but it's home. This place holds my home, but it isn't home because I know home, and some of my home has died, but my nakama are my home, too, and I want to go back to them."

Luffy stared at them. "It's different, but it's _my_ home. Let me go home."

* * *

 **Okay, so Luffy is kind of OOC, but whatever!**

 **This alternate universe is based off of the clichè stories of ASL being raised by the Whitebeard pirates. I've always wondered how Luffy would react to this alternate universe. Most people would think Luffy would be happy to see his brothers and wouldn't want to leave right away, but I've put my own realistic twist on things, something less expected.**

 **This takes place before Luffy discovers Sabo's alive, so before Dressrosa. Bye my doggies!**


	8. One Piece: Starving

**What if Luffy ate so much because he needed to? What if he would slowly collapse on himself and wither away if he didn't?**

* * *

Nami simmered quietly in her seat during dinner, watching as Luffy stole food from each of the crew mates' plates one by one, too quick for any of them to stop him.

Once his hand reached for Nami's own plate, the female snapped. "That is it!"

The whole crew jumped in surprise, looking at her curiously. Luffy had withdrawn his hand in surprise and maybe a bit of fear from Nami's tone.

"Are you alright, Navigator-san?" Robin asked politely.

Nami glared, her piercing eyes staring daggers at the Captain. "No, I'm not! You," she pointed at Luffy. "I am sick and tired of you stealing our food just because your own plate isn't enough! I'm sick and tired of having to pay so much for your food bills because you suck so much food into that bottomless pit of yours! From now on, you will eat from your own plate and you will have normal serving sizes like the rest of us! Are we clear?"

Luffy's eyes were wide with horror. "But, Nami-!"

"Are. We. Clear?" Her voice went down an octave, daring anyone to question her.

Luffy looked down, his Strawhat shadowing his eyes. "Yeah."

"Good." Nami nodded decisively and the rest went back to their meals, but it was much quieter than before.

* * *

Days passed and Luffy's new diet remained as Nami had decided, but the crew noticed Luffy seemed to be more tired, less talkative, and wasn't as joyful.

The crew began worrying it was his new diet, but Nami, despite the voice nagging in the back of her head, decided that nothing was wrong and he was just sulking because he couldn't have as much food as he wanted anymore.

* * *

Luffy, for the first time since he'd started sailing, slept in the Captain's Quarters.

Luffy didn't usually, because he felt like he wasn't anymore above his crew and that they were equal. Besides, the young Captain liked the company of his nakama.

For the past week, though, he'd started and the crew was beginning to worry, even Nami.

* * *

Luffy clambered quickly out of bed and threw up in the garbage can next to his bed. All of the food he had been able to consume, though it was small, was deposited into the trash. Small red blotches went with it.

Luffy couldn't keep himself on his feet anymore and collapsed to the floor onto his back, breathing ragged, uneven, and hard. He coughed, blood spewing out. He could feel his innards collapsing on themselves.

His metabolism was way too fast for such small amounts of food. He was made of rubber, he literally threw his body around while fighting. Everything he did contained stretching, and he stretched subconsciously all the time. It wasn't that he made his body rubber by will, he was _literally_ rubber. He burned up energy ten times faster than any normal human, he needed ten times more food than the average person.

His crew didn't know that, he couldn't blame Nami for being annoyed by his eating habits. It did take a lot of money to feed him. Sanji didn't make enough for him, so he had to resort to stealing his nakama's food.

He was starving, but he refused to tell his crew. He couldn't, it would cause them to feel guilty, and Luffy supposed it was unfair to them how he took their food.

Luffy was dying, but he refused to tell his crew.

Luffy's stomach rumbled loudly as the teen tried to quiet it, and more blood poured from his lips. He felt weak, he could count his ribs, his insides were mush.

He couldn't tell his crew.

* * *

Breakfast came around and the crew eagerly came to the kitchen at Sanji's call, but when Luffy wasn't there, a silent worry passed over the crew.

"Where's Luffy-bro?" Franky asked quietly.

Chopper made a whimper noise. "I have a bad feeling..."

Nami gave a nervous laugh. "He probably slept in. Chopper, can you go wake him up?"

"Y-yeah," Chopper replied, walking quickly out of the kitchen.

Before anyone could sit down, a sudden shriek of horror sounded from the Captain's Quarters.

The crew rushed towards the noise, scrambling into the room.

Horror swept over all of them. Red covered the floor in splatters and a garbage can sat next to the bed, filled with throw up mixed with blood.

Luffy lay unmoving on the cool, wood floor. He was pale, skinny, and his eyes were closed, sunken in. Blood was painted around his lips, some covering his fingertips.

Chopper immediately went into Doctor mode, desperately trying to push away the panic. "Zoro, pick him up and get him to the infirmary! Sanji, get some water!"

Both rivals did as they were told, and the rest of the crew followed Chopper and Zoro to the infirmary.

Zoro laid the boy in the bed, and Chopper took his temperature. "He's six degrees above the average temperature! Nami, go get some ice packs! Sanji, hand me the water!"

Once Chopper had the water in hand, he gently poured it down Luffy's throat. He grabbed a cold rag and wiped the blood from Luffy's mouth and hands.

When Nami came back, Chopper wrapped the ice packs in thin rags, lying them on Luffy's forehead, arms and legs.

"What's going on? What's wrong with him?" Usopp asked quietly.

Chopper frowned, hooves shaking. "I figured Luffy would tell us if my theory was true, but I guess I was wrong."

"What the hell are you talking about? Spit it out!" Sanji barely managed to keep from biting his cigarette in half. The tone was supposed to sound demanding, but it came out as some type of plea, and Chopper couldn't find it in himself to be scared, nor could Zoro feel any need to tease the cook about it because the swordsman felt the same. They all did.

Chopper sniffed shakily. "Luffy's body is made of rubber because of a Paramecia type Devil Fruit. This means that Luffy's body is literally made of rubber, bones and flesh. During fights, Luffy would literally throw his body around during fights, adding on to the fact that everything Luffy does includes stretching, such as eating, playing, fishing, climbing, fighting, etc. Luffy can't turn off his ability, meaning he does this all subconsciously. His metabolism would be ten times faster than the average human, thus he would need lots more food than the average human. Giving Luffy normal, human amounts of food...we've been starving him. He's been starving for weeks, and with his inhumanly quick metabolism, it may as well be the equivalent of starving the average person for months on end."

Silence ensued at this. Nobody could stop the crushing amounts of guilt and horror dropped on them, especially not Nami and Sanji.

Nami choked on her words. "This is all my fault..."

Sanji shut his eyes tightly, fists clenching themselves so hard, they turned white. "Are you telling me my captain has been starving right across the deck from me and I. Haven't. Noticed?!"

Chopper closed his eyes shamefully and nodded. "Yes. It's my fault for the most part. I should have said something, anything, or else this wouldn't have happened."

"What are you saying?!" Nami screeched, "I'm the one who practically told him to starve! I'm the one to told him he couldn't eat anymore than we did! It's my fault!"

"I'm the cook! I'm the one responsible for this crew's food and their nutrients, and I denied Luffy his! I promised myself I'd never let anyone starve if I could help it, and I broke that promise, to my own damn captain of all people!" Sanji barked angrily, though the anger was mostly directed towards himself.

"STOP IT!" The command washed over them all, the familiar voice made their heads swivel towards the infirmary bed.

"Luffy!" They all cried.

Luffy's normally bright, chocolate eyes were now a muddy color, sunken in, purple almost, and he was so thin, it hurt. The crew couldn't stop the guilt consuming them.

Luffy coughed into his hand and Chopper cried out in panic as blood covered it. "I didn't...want you all to worry. I...knew if I had...told you, you would have...felt responsible...I didn't want you to...blame yourselves." Luffy's voice was raspy. "I didn't...try and object after...Nami made it clear she was...done. I figured...that it was unfair for me...to take all of your food...because Sanji never made enough...it was unfair...to take all of our money...because I needed more than you guys did. I...thought I could...handle it."

"Dammit, Luffy!" Nami barked, "Your health is more important than money, no matter what I usually say! You should have told me what would happen the instant I insisted you have smaller meals!"

"I tried...you wouldn't listen," Luffy said innocently, as if he didn't know that the statement hurt Nami more than being stabbed.

"You should have told us, Luffy!" Sanji rarely ever called Luffy by his name. It was usually names like shitty rubber, rubber brain, idiot, or moron. "If I wasn't making enough, you could have told me!"

Luffy stared at Sanji innocently, confused, with his head cocked slightly. "But...every time I tell you I'm hungry...you tell me I have to wait until the next meal...or snack time. I...didn't see the point...in asking for a bigger dinner, lunch, or breakfast. I...was afraid I'd get...yelled at."

A lump built in Sanji's throat, his mouth went dry, and the cook tried not to let the emotions tumbling inside escape him. "I'm so sorry, Luffy. If I had known...Luffy, you were suffering, starving! You should never be afraid to tell me you're hungry, and I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

Luffy shook his head. "That's the way...Sanji is. I wouldn't...have him any other way. I...promise I'll tell you...next time."

"Luffy, I know you're starving, but you shouldn't be coughing up blood." Chopper frowned.

Luffy looked at Chopper. "I'm not just starving, my body...is collapsing on itself. It won't be long...until my heart collapses, then I'll die."

"Are you telling us that if we hadn't found you, you'd be dead!?" Brook cried.

"In a few days, yes." Luffy nodded as if it was perfectly okay.

"Luffy, that's not okay. You should have told us! If we didn't listen the first time, you should have made us listen!" Chopper cried, "We should have listened to you the first time! We're all to blame here! We should have noticed something was wrong, and I'm your doctor! I should have said something!"

"I'm okay. It's...not like I'm going to...die or anything. You guys know now...so I'll be okay." Luffy smiled sleepily.

"I'll whip up a big Sea King for you, Captain. Does that sound good?" Sanji asked.

Luffy laughed. "Shishishi. Yeah."

* * *

From then on, Sanji made sure to cook enough food for Luffy and nobody complained about the food bills or his diet.

And if Luffy still stole food from their plates even though he didn't need to, well, nobody complained.

* * *

 **I've been reading way too many oneshots like this, so I had to make one myself! Any requests are welcome! Bye my doggies!**


	9. One Piece: Mask

**I read a tumblr post today on ASL. The one for Luffy made a lot of sense because after seeing Luffy's past, I always wondered if Luffy's happiness was just a facade. We've all seen him get serious, so is that the real him shining through? I'm not sure, but that's my theory. So here's where my next prompt comes in.**

 **What if Luffy wasn't as happy as his crew and the world believes him to be? What if it's just a mask?**

* * *

Luffy pouted at his cook. "Food, Sanji! I'm starving!"

"You're not starving, you shitty captain!" Sanji snapped, "We had lunch an hour ago!"

"But I'm still hungry!" Luffy whined.

"You'll have to wait! We can't waste all the food on your bottomless pit!" Sanji growled.

"But-!" Luffy was cut off as Sanji's face turned an odd shade of purple.

"Leave me alone! Can't you ever be patient, you freak?!"

Silence followed after that. Lufy choked slightly, laughing nervously. "Huh...what? F-f-fr-freak?"

The crew turned their heads towards Luffy, watching the captain break down bit by bit.

"Oi, Luffy, you okay?" Zoro asked, slightly concerned.

Luffy laughed again, but it wasn't a happy noise. He rubbed his eyes, desperately trying to stop any water that threatened to fall. "O-okay, if-if that's wh-what you w-want..."

The straw-hatted captain scurried away from the prying eyes of his nakama.

"What the hell?" Nami murmured.

"What's wrong with Luffy? Was he...crying?" Usopp swallowed.

"Captain-san...?" Robin called quietly.

Brook shook his head. "Oh my..."

The crew shared nervous looks. Zoro glared at Sanji. "What the hell did you say to him, you bastard?!"

Sanji dropped his cigarette in shock. "I-I don't know. I've never seen..."

"Luffy..." Chopper sniffled. "Come on! We're his crew! If he's suffering, we have to talk to him!"

Franky nodded. "Chopper-bro's right! Luffy-bro needs us!"

* * *

When the crew made their way to Sunny's head, Luffy sat there, staring out at the sea. "Hey, guys..."

"Luffy, what's wrong?" Chopper asked.

Luffy didn't turn around right away, letting them bathe in the quiet atmosphere, but when he did, the crew felt their hearts lurch at the uncommon tear streaks in his face.

Luffy sniffled as fresh tears started to trail from his eyes. Luffy desperately tried to rub them away with his sleeve. He gave them a smile, but it was shaky at best. His eyes held a pain that the crew realized had always been there, but was now in the open rather than hidden behind a cheerful light. "Nothing's wrong! I just got sad cause I couldn't have food..."

"That's such bullshit!" Zoro barked, and Luffy flinched back, surprising them.

"I-I swear! I'm the same old Lu..." The captain trailed off, his voice hiccuping in his throat. "Lu-Lu-Lu-Luffy-fy..."

Tears clogged the boy's throat as he hiccuped his words with sadness and grief. He didn't try and stop the trails of water that made patterns down his face this time. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!"

The crew couldn't hide their worry, nor their grief or sadness, not even Sanji and Zoro. It was clearly visible on all of their faces.

"Luffy, what's the matter? We're your crew, you can tell us anything!" Nami said.

Luffy shook his head. "I'd hoped it be longer, it'd be a while longer before I told you all the truth...I didn't want you to see how broken I was..."

"Luffy, tell us," Zoro demanded.

Luffy looked at them with glassy, shattered eyes. "Since I set out, since I met Zoro, everything I did was never completely...true."

"Ace used to tell me of the saying, "The saddest people smile the brightest." I never realized how much that applied to me. I tried to forget it, my past, for most of it was just...loneliness, pain." Luffy clenched his teeth as his throat tightened.

"You've never talked about your past." Robin realized.

"I've only heard the time when Shanks gave your your hat. Anything else was just a mystery to me." Zoro frowned.

"I wanted it to stay that way. Shanks was a nice point in my life, one of the few. I was born with unnatural strength. 'A big fish in a small pond,' Jiji had called me. The other kids feared my strength. Once, they let me play because they were scared I'd hurt them if they didn't. They were older than I was, so I thought...I thought I could kick the ball harder. I broke two kids' arms and nose. They yelled at me, called me a monster, a freak..."

The word made the Strawhats gasp as guilt overshadowed Sanji. "Luffy..."

"The adults wouldn't let me near the kids, fearing I would injure them. Kids feared me, parents hated me. I had Makino, but she was always busy. I was lonely for most of my life, with Jiji being gone most of the time. Friends were foreign to me, but something I wanted to experience most." Luffy frowned.

"My fear of loneliness and losing what was most important to me made me depressed, and I realized no kid would want a depressing friend." Luffy laughed loudly, hollowly. "So, I put on a smile for everyone! For Makino, for Jiji, for myself. It stuck to me as a habit and after that, only Ace knew of my actual feelings. He helped me through it, and I felt genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. After Ace went out to sea, loneliness and the fear of Ace being hurt threatened me for the first time in years. When I met you guys, everything was okay again, even though I still carried around a lot of my past with me. With Ace's death and being separated from you all, my past caught up with me and my sanity was in danger. I'm surprised I made it out."

"But...you're always so...happy! So bubbly and playful, and...and..." Franky couldn't find the words.

"An act," Luffy replied blankly. "I am happy, more so than ever, but I've never forgotten what's happened to me, what I went through, and what happened to Ace. I'll never be so completely oblivious and cheerful again, not that I was before. I was happy, but my grief and past that I tried to forget still lingered."

"I thought that maybe if I played the idiot, the naive, the oblivious kid, I'd be able to convince myself that my past wasn't bad and that it never happened. Maybe by acting my part, you'd all be more content and less worried."

The crew couldn't stop their tears now. They hadn't noticed, they'd never noticed, and they wished they had.

Luffy smiled at them, an eye-closed, bright grin, leftover tears glistening at the edges of his shut orbs. It made them choke. "Stop crying. I'm not worth your tears."

"You shitty captain..." Sanji choked. "You've got it all wrong."

The crew stared at their captain with kind eyes.

"You're worth everything."

* * *

 **Yeah, that happened! I'm sorry for all the feels and while this isn't in canon, I feel as if this would be very true, regarding Luffy's past. I feel like every One Piece thing I write has to do with Luffy being depressed or hurt. Why do I always want to torture Luffy?! It's a problem!** **Bye my doggies!**


End file.
